Christian Quotes - 3If you would like to be sent the Christian Quote of the Week (each week or so), via email, please send a request to ssper@scripturestudies.comPossessing Faith “The chief part of faith lies in... an affiance to the truth; not the believing it merely, but the taking hold of it as being ours, and in the resting on it for salvation... Leaning on it; saying, ‘This is truth, I trust my salvation on it.’ Now, true faith, in its very essence rests in this – a leaning upon Christ. It will not save me to know that Christ is a Saviour; but it will save me to trust him to be my Saviour. I shall not be delivered from the wrath to come by believing that his atonement is sufficient, but I shall be saved by making that atonement my trust, my refuge, and my all. The pith, the essence of faith lies in this – a casting one-self on the promise.”-- Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), from Spurgeon’s Sermons - Vol. III, Sermon 107 (1857)Related Bible Verse: "Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://classicchristianlibrary.com/library/spurgeon_charles/Spurgeon-NewPark-pt03.pdfHeeding the Bible’s Wisdom "The children of Wisdom accept her words. They do not shut their ears against them. They do not slight them. They do not hastily and thoughtlessly disregard them. They give them what they are entitled to, a serious and deliberate attention. They listen, they remember, they meditate, they examine, they accept, they lay up for use.—The words of divine wisdom are now in the Bible. There the voice of Wisdom, and of God, addresses you. In reading the Bible, you should consider yourselves as listening to God. And it is a blessed privilege to have this Word in your possession,—to have God addressing you in it." -- Ralph Wardlaw (1779-1853), fromLectures on the Book of Proverbs, Lecture V(1844)Related Bible Verse: "My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck" (Proverbs 3:21-22) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Lectures on the Book of Proverbs), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/wardlaw_ralph/Wardlaw-Vol_I_lecturesonbookp01wardgoog.pdfPaul's Life and Service "Paul, in the prosecution of his high purpose and great commission, We thus see him travelling from country to country; Enduring every species of hardship and privation; Encountering every extremity of danger; Assaulted by the populace; punished by the magistrate; Scourged, beaten, stoned, and left for dead; Expecting everywhere the same treatment and the same dangers; Yet when driven from one city, preaching in the next; Spending his whole time in proclaiming Christ and Him crucified; Sacrificing pleasure, ease, safety, worldly position; Persisting in this course for more than thirty years; Unaltered by the experience of ingratitude, perverseness, prejudice; Unsubdued by anxiety, want, labor, persecution; Unwearied by long-continued conflict; Undismayed by the prospect of a violent death: The love of Christ and of souls his great constraining motive; A glorious monument of the power and riches of divine grace." -– Thomas Robinson (c. 1870), fromSuggestive Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (1870), pg. 5Related Bible Verse: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus..." (Romans 1:1) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Suggestive Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/robinson_thomas/Robinson-Romans-pt1.pdfChrist's Suffering for Us "[Remember, whenever you hear or read of Christ’s sufferings, that they were all carried out on our behalf, in order that we may not suffer for our sins.] We are intended to see this truth in every part of His passion. We may follow Him all through, from the bar of Pilate, to the minute of His death, and see him at every step as our mighty Substitute, our Representative, our Head, our Surety, our Proxy, -- the Divine Friend who undertook to stand in our stead, and by the priceless merit of His sufferings, to purchase our redemption. -- Was He scourged? It was that 'through His stripes we might be healed' -- Was he condemned, though innocent? It was that we might be acquitted though guilty. -- Did He wear a crown of thorns? It was that we might wear the crown of glory. -- Was He stripped of His raiment? It was that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness. -- Was he mocked and reviled? It was that we might be honored and blessed. -- Was He reckoned a malefactor, and numbered among transgressors? It was that we might be reckoned innocent, and justified from all sin. -- Was he declared unable to save Himself? It was that He might be able to save others to the uttermost. -- Did He die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful of deaths? It was that we might live for evermore, and be exalted to the highest glory. -- Let us ponder these things well. They are worth remembering -- Our sins are many and great. But a great atonement has been made for them." -– J. C. Ryle, from Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - Matthew (1857),pg. 391-392Related Bible Verse: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'"(I Peter 2:24) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - Matthew), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/ryle_jc/Ryle_Expos_Thoughts_Matthew.pdfThe Significance of the Cross"The cross is the central point of the world’s history; all the great lines of our deepest moral and spiritual interests meet in it or radiate from it. It was once a thing must hateful and most horrible... But the Lord most holy died thereon for our salvation; and the glory of his precious love has shed an aureole of golden light around the tree of shame. And now the cross is to Christian hearts, of all things dear, the dearest and the most sacred; for it tells us with its silent eloquence the blessed story of the exceeding great love of our Master and only Savior Jesus Christ." -– B. C. Caffin, from The Pulpit Commentary (1881), Vol. 34 (Matthew, pt. 2), pg. 608Related Bible Verse: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'" (I Peter 2:24) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 34), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/pulpit_commentary/Pulpit_Commentary_v34_Matt2.pdfThe Dangers of the World, and God's Sovereignty"For what else can be said where heat and cold bring equal danger? Then, in what direction soever you turn, all surrounding objects not only may do harm, but almost openly threaten and seem to present immediate death. Go on board a ship, you are but a plank’s breadth from death. Mount a horse, the stumbling of a foot endangers your life. Walk along the streets, every tile upon the roofs is a source of danger. If a sharp instrument is in your own hand, or that of a friend, the possible harm is manifest. All the savage beasts you see are so many beings armed for your destruction. Even within a high-walled garden, where everything ministers to delight, a serpent will sometimes lurk. Your house, constantly exposed to fire, threatens you with poverty by day, with destruction by night. Your fields, subject to hail, mildew, drought, and other injuries, denounce barrenness, and thereby famine. I say nothing of poison, treachery, robbery, some of which beset us at home, others follow us abroad. Amid these perils, must not man be very miserable, as one who, more dead than alive, with difficulty draws an anxious and feeble breath, just as if a drawn sword were constantly suspended over his neck?... But when once the light of Divine Providence has illumined the believer's soul, he is relieved and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety which formerly oppressed him, but from all care. For as he justly shudders at the idea of chance, so he can confidently commit himself to God. This, I say, is his comfort, that his heavenly Father so embraces all things under his power — so governs them at will by His nod — so regulates them by His wisdom, that nothing takes place save according to His appointment; that received into His favour, and entrusted to the care of His angels, neither fire, nor water, nor sword, can do him harm, except in so far as God their master is pleased to permit." -– John Calvin (1509-1564), from Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Chapter 17, Sections 10-11Related Bible Verse: "My times are in your hands." (Ps. 31:15) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/calvin_john/Calvin-Insts-pt1.pdfJudging Yourself"Acquaint yourselves with those marks that are proper only to a true Christian. Overlook all those that are common with hypocrites, such as outward profession, constant attendances, some affections in duties. Let us not judge ourselves by outward acts: A player is not a prince, because he acts the part of a prince. But we must judge ourselves by what we are in our retirements, in our hearts. He only is a good man, and does good, that does it from a principle of goodness within, and not from fear of Laws, or to gain a good opinion in the world… The great accusation the devil brings against Job was that he served not God for naught, that his service was not sincere, that he acted a righteous part for his own ends, and to preserve his worldly prosperity (Job 1:9,10). But if our ends be right, and our actions in the course of them according to His rule, if our hearts in them respect God’s Law, and His glory, how the devils arrows will drop down, as shot against a brazen wall." -– Stephen Charnock (1628-1680), from "Discourse on Self-Examination", in The Works of Stephen Charnock, Vol. 7, pg. 209Related Bible Verses: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your ownselves. Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (II Cor. 13:5, KJV) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Works of Stephen Charnock, Vol. 7, by Stephen Charnock) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/charnock_stephen/Charnock-Works-pt7.pdfThe First Winter of the Pilgrims"'Twas a most heavy trial of their patience, whereto they were called the first winter of this their pilgrimage, and enough to convince them and remind them that they were but Pilgrims. The hardships which they encountered, were attended with, and productive of deadly sicknesses; which in two or three months carried off more than half their company. They were but meanly provided against these unhappy sicknesses; but there died sometimes two, sometimes three in a day, till scarce fifty of them were left alive; and of those fifty, sometimes there were scarce five well at a time to look after the sick. Yet their profound submission to the will of God, their Christian readiness to help one another, accompanied with a joyful assurance of another and better world, carried them cheerfully through the sorrows of this mortality: nor was there heard among them a continual murmur against those who had by unreasonable impositions driven them into all these distresses. And there was this remarkable providence further in the circumstances of this mortality, that if a disease had not more easily fetched so many of this number away to Heaven, a famine would probably have destroyed them all, before their expected supplies from England were arrived. But what a wonder was it that all the bloody savages far and near did not cut off this little remnant! If He that once muzzled the lions ready to devour the man of desires, had not admirably, I had almost said, miraculously restrained them, these had been all devoured! But this people of God were come into a wilderness to worship Him; and so He kept their enemies from such attempts, as would otherwise have soon annihilated this poor handful of men, thus far already diminished." -– Cotton Mather, from Magnalia Christi Americana, or The Ecclesiatical History of New England, Book I, Chapter 1, Section 10 (1702)Related Bible Verses: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Magnalia Christi Americana, or The Ecclesiatical History of New England, by Cotton Mather) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/mather_cotton/mather-magnalia-v1.pdfThe Cross"The cross, which to the old world was the symbol of deepest abhorrence, shame, infamy, and perdition, has now become for the new world the symbol of honor, blessing, and redemption. Even the superstition and vanity of the world have adopted this sign. It has risen to be the object of veneration. It is the original form of most of our orders of honor. But the glorification of the cross is the symbol and type of the transformation of death from a curse into salvation." -– Johann Peter Lange, from A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical - Matthew, pg. 531Related Bible Verses: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (I Cor. 1:18) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical - Matthew, by Johann Peter Lange) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/lange_johann/Langes_v17-Lange-Matt.pdfGod's Grand Design"Look around! God’s inventiveness and ingenuity is displayed in the variety of creatures rife throughout the creation: from earwig to eagle; from mite to mammoth; from oyster to orchid. God is full of wisdom; He has considered every contingency; He is a grand designer who has left no need unsatisfied in His self-sustaining creation. The flower depends on the bee, the whale makes use of the parasite, the hermit crab utilizes the castoffs of the snail. The existence of all is intertwined with the existence of all others. The large and the small, the great and the humble, the hideous and the beautiful all have their God-given niche in the completed puzzle of the creation. All have a purpose; all are equally important. Never consider yourself unimportant. If the grains of wheat can feed the world, what great purpose must God have for you. Seek it! In prayer, dedicate yourself to His desire for you in His grand design." -– Scott Sperling, from Scripture Studies, Vol. I, No. 2Related Bible Verses: "So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:21) "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)Our Failure in Prayer"What a shame is this to us, that God is more willing to be prayed to, and more ready to hear prayer, than we are to pray." -– Matthew Henry, from "How to Begin Every Day with God", in A Method for Prayer (1710)Related Bible Verses: "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning." (Psalm 5:3, KJV)Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (A Method for Prayer, by Matthew Henry) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/henry_matthew/Henry-Method_for_Prayer.pdfIf you would like to be sent the Christian Quote of the Week (each week or so), via email, please send a request to ssper@scripturestudies.comQuotes - 3 Quotes - 2Quotes - 1

Christian Quotes - 3If you would like to be sent the Christian Quote of the Week (each week or so), via email, please send a request to ssper@scripturestudies.comHeeding the Bible’s Wisdom "The children of Wisdom accept her words. They do not shut their ears against them. They do not slight them. They do not hastily and thoughtlessly disregard them. They give them what they are entitled to, a serious and deliberate attention. They listen, they remember, they meditate, they examine, they accept, they lay up for use.—The words of divine wisdom are now in the Bible. There the voice of Wisdom, and of God, addresses you. In reading the Bible, you should consider yourselves as listening to God. And it is a blessed privilege to have this Word in your possession,—to have God addressing you in it." -- Ralph Wardlaw (1779-1853), fromLectures on the Book of Proverbs, Lecture V(1844)Related Bible Verse: "My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck" (Proverbs 3:21-22) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Lectures on the Book of Proverbs), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/wardlaw_ralph/Wardlaw-Vol_I_lecturesonbookp01wardgoog.pdfPaul's Life and Service "Paul, in the prosecution of his high purpose and great commission, We thus see him travelling from country to country; Enduring every species of hardship and privation; Encountering every extremity of danger; Assaulted by the populace; punished by the magistrate; Scourged, beaten, stoned, and left for dead; Expecting everywhere the same treatment and the same dangers; Yet when driven from one city, preaching in the next; Spending his whole time in proclaiming Christ and Him crucified; Sacrificing pleasure, ease, safety, worldly position; Persisting in this course for more than thirty years; Unaltered by the experience of ingratitude, perverseness, prejudice; Unsubdued by anxiety, want, labor, persecution; Unwearied by long-continued conflict; Undismayed by the prospect of a violent death: The love of Christ and of souls his great constraining motive; A glorious monument of the power and riches of divine grace." -– Thomas Robinson (c. 1870), fromSuggestive Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (1870), pg. 5Related Bible Verse: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus..." (Romans 1:1) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Suggestive Commentary on St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/robinson_thomas/Robinson-Romans-pt1.pdfChrist's Suffering for Us "[Remember, whenever you hear or read of Christ’s sufferings, that they were all carried out on our behalf, in order that we may not suffer for our sins.] We are intended to see this truth in every part of His passion. We may follow Him all through, from the bar of Pilate, to the minute of His death, and see him at every step as our mighty Substitute, our Representative, our Head, our Surety, our Proxy, -- the Divine Friend who undertook to stand in our stead, and by the priceless merit of His sufferings, to purchase our redemption. -- Was He scourged? It was that 'through His stripes we might be healed' -- Was he condemned, though innocent? It was that we might be acquitted though guilty. -- Did He wear a crown of thorns? It was that we might wear the crown of glory. -- Was He stripped of His raiment? It was that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness. -- Was he mocked and reviled? It was that we might be honored and blessed. -- Was He reckoned a malefactor, and numbered among transgressors? It was that we might be reckoned innocent, and justified from all sin. -- Was he declared unable to save Himself? It was that He might be able to save others to the uttermost. -- Did He die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful of deaths? It was that we might live for evermore, and be exalted to the highest glory. -- Let us ponder these things well. They are worth remembering -- Our sins are many and great. But a great atonement has been made for them." -– J. C. Ryle, from Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - Matthew (1857),pg. 391-392Related Bible Verse: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'"(I Peter 2:24) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - Matthew), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/ryle_jc/Ryle_Expos_Thoughts_Matthew.pdfThe Significance of the Cross"The cross is the central point of the world’s history; all the great lines of our deepest moral and spiritual interests meet in it or radiate from it. It was once a thing must hateful and most horrible... But the Lord most holy died thereon for our salvation; and the glory of his precious love has shed an aureole of golden light around the tree of shame. And now the cross is to Christian hearts, of all things dear, the dearest and the most sacred; for it tells us with its silent eloquence the blessed story of the exceeding great love of our Master and only Savior Jesus Christ." -– B. C. Caffin, from The Pulpit Commentary (1881), Vol. 34 (Matthew, pt. 2), pg. 608Related Bible Verse: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 'by his wounds you have been healed.'" (I Peter 2:24) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 34), is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/pulpit_commentary/Pulpit_Commentary_v34_Matt2.pdfThe Dangers of the World, and God's Sovereignty"For what else can be said where heat and cold bring equal danger? Then, in what direction soever you turn, all surrounding objects not only may do harm, but almost openly threaten and seem to present immediate death. Go on board a ship, you are but a plank’s breadth from death. Mount a horse, the stumbling of a foot endangers your life. Walk along the streets, every tile upon the roofs is a source of danger. If a sharp instrument is in your own hand, or that of a friend, the possible harm is manifest. All the savage beasts you see are so many beings armed for your destruction. Even within a high-walled garden, where everything ministers to delight, a serpent will sometimes lurk. Your house, constantly exposed to fire, threatens you with poverty by day, with destruction by night. Your fields, subject to hail, mildew, drought, and other injuries, denounce barrenness, and thereby famine. I say nothing of poison, treachery, robbery, some of which beset us at home, others follow us abroad. Amid these perils, must not man be very miserable, as one who, more dead than alive, with difficulty draws an anxious and feeble breath, just as if a drawn sword were constantly suspended over his neck?... But when once the light of Divine Providence has illumined the believer's soul, he is relieved and set free, not only from the extreme fear and anxiety which formerly oppressed him, but from all care. For as he justly shudders at the idea of chance, so he can confidently commit himself to God. This, I say, is his comfort, that his heavenly Father so embraces all things under his power — so governs them at will by His nod — so regulates them by His wisdom, that nothing takes place save according to His appointment; that received into His favour, and entrusted to the care of His angels, neither fire, nor water, nor sword, can do him harm, except in so far as God their master is pleased to permit." -– John Calvin (1509-1564), from Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book I, Chapter 17, Sections 10-11Related Bible Verse: "My times are in your hands."(Ps. 31:15) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/calvin_john/Calvin-Insts-pt1.pdfJudging Yourself"Acquaint yourselves with those marks that are proper only to a true Christian. Overlook all those that are common with hypocrites, such as outward profession, constant attendances, some affections in duties. Let us not judge ourselves by outward acts: A player is not a prince, because he acts the part of a prince. But we must judge ourselves by what we are in our retirements, in our hearts. He only is a good man, and does good, that does it from a principle of goodness within, and not from fear of Laws, or to gain a good opinion in the world… The great accusation the devil brings against Job was that he served not God for naught, that his service was not sincere, that he acted a righteous part for his own ends, and to preserve his worldly prosperity (Job 1:9,10). But if our ends be right, and our actions in the course of them according to His rule, if our hearts in them respect God’s Law, and His glory, how the devils arrows will drop down, as shot against a brazen wall." -– Stephen Charnock (1628-1680), from "Discourse on Self-Examination", in The Works of Stephen Charnock, Vol. 7, pg. 209Related Bible Verses: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your ownselves. Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (II Cor. 13:5, KJV) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (The Works of Stephen Charnock, Vol. 7, by Stephen Charnock) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/charnock_stephen/Charnock-Works-pt7.pdfThe First Winter of the Pilgrims"'Twas a most heavy trial of their patience, whereto they were called the first winter of this their pilgrimage, and enough to convince them and remind them that they were but Pilgrims. The hardships which they encountered, were attended with, and productive of deadly sicknesses; which in two or three months carried off more than half their company. They were but meanly provided against these unhappy sicknesses; but there died sometimes two, sometimes three in a day, till scarce fifty of them were left alive; and of those fifty, sometimes there were scarce five well at a time to look after the sick. Yet their profound submission to the will of God, their Christian readiness to help one another, accompanied with a joyful assurance of another and better world, carried them cheerfully through the sorrows of this mortality: nor was there heard among them a continual murmur against those who had by unreasonable impositions driven them into all these distresses. And there was this remarkable providence further in the circumstances of this mortality, that if a disease had not more easily fetched so many of this number away to Heaven, a famine would probably have destroyed them all, before their expected supplies from England were arrived. But what a wonder was it that all the bloody savages far and near did not cut off this little remnant! If He that once muzzled the lions ready to devour the man of desires, had not admirably, I had almost said, miraculously restrained them, these had been all devoured! But this people of God were come into a wilderness to worship Him; and so He kept their enemies from such attempts, as would otherwise have soon annihilated this poor handful of men, thus far already diminished." -– Cotton Mather, from Magnalia Christi Americana, or The Ecclesiatical History of New England, Book I, Chapter 1, Section 10 (1702)Related Bible Verses: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (Magnalia Christi Americana, or The Ecclesiatical History of New England, by Cotton Mather) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/mather_cotton/mather-magnalia-v1.pdfThe Cross"The cross, which to the old world was the symbol of deepest abhorrence, shame, infamy, and perdition, has now become for the new world the symbol of honor, blessing, and redemption. Even the superstition and vanity of the world have adopted this sign. It has risen to be the object of veneration. It is the original form of most of our orders of honor. But the glorification of the cross is the symbol and type of the transformation of death from a curse into salvation." -– Johann Peter Lange, from A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical - Matthew, pg. 531Related Bible Verses: "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (I Cor. 1:18) Note: The work from which the above quote was taken (A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical - Matthew, by Johann Peter Lange) is available as a PDF eBook at the Classic Christian Library, free of charge at:http://www.classicchristianlibrary.com/library/lange_johann/Langes_v17-Lange-Matt.pdfGod's Grand Design"Look around! God’s inventiveness and ingenuity is displayed in the variety of creatures rife throughout the creation: from earwig to eagle; from mite to mammoth; from oyster to orchid. God is full of wisdom; He has considered every contingency; He is a grand designer who has left no need unsatisfied in His self-sustaining creation. The flower depends on the bee, the whale makes use of the parasite, the hermit crab utilizes the castoffs of the snail. The existence of all is intertwined with the existence of all others. The large and the small, the great and the humble, the hideous and the beautiful all have their God-given niche in the completed puzzle of the